Hottie on the Beach, The One Shots
by fearless523
Summary: So, these are actually "The Collection of the Best One Shots That Aren't One Shots." So, if you read Hottie on the Beach, or just like James, or one shots, please read and review! TAKING REQUESTS!
1. Oatmeal

** Guys, how great is this! Hottie on the Beach one-shots! But they aren't really one-shots. Cause I don't like one-shots. And Tori and I decided to call them "The Collection of the Best One-Shots That Aren't One-Shots." **

** But you don't need to read Hottie on the Beach to understand what's going on. Here's a summary- Tori and James are dating. Wow! Well technically, any of them after January, which will be most of them, they're engaged. Unless I say so otherwise. Probably not. **

** In no way at all are these supposed to be in chronological order or anything. They are just completely random ideas that come up at the most random times (e.g. during enrichment in a Spanish classroom.) **

** I will take requests, but guys, you know how I work. Keep it wholesome and clean please or I will not write it. The first four are ideas that I've had for a while, except for chapter four, which was sparked today.**

** Anyway, this is chapter one, obviously, and yes, I am quite aware I used a little piece of this in chapter thirteen, I believe? But disregard that- this is totally different.**

_Oatmeal_

It was around midnight, on a random Tuesday in February. James and I were sitting at the kitchen table, in the dim light of the apartment, eating oatmeal.

He was sitting across from me, eating his cinnamon apple oatmeal contently, looking down at the table that was scattered with tons of papers, some scripts for James, some songs, and others being just random papers that may or may not be important.

But, James was also shirtless. Why? I didn't quite know. I knew he liked to sleep shirtless, the theory of that being unknown, and I honestly found it quite odd. But hey, if a hottie like James didn't want to have a shirt on, that was not a problem for me.

James was still staring down at the table, maybe studying lines, but who thinks after midnight?

"James?" I said, waving my hand in front of his face. He looked up from where his eyes were glued at, and up at me. "Hi."

"Hi?" he said.

"You seemed very lost," I told him.

"No. Not lost. Just thinking." I shot him a skeptical look, but dropped it.

And, being me, when given the perfect opportunity for a laugh, I took it. So, I picked up my spoon, which was heaping with lukewarm oatmeal, and flung it at James. It landed right on his gorgeous face, and he squealed.

Sometimes, he acted _just _like James Diamond, which always made me roll my eyes.

"Tori! Oatmeal face? What's wrong with you!" I laughed a little as some of the oatmeal fell from his cheek to his bare chest.

"Don't admit it's not good for your complexion. You gotta have clear skin with all those girls ogling at you," I said, the ending sounding a little bitter, my eyes averting down to the old Big Time Rush script in front of me.

It was for "Big Time Love Song," which was Katelyn's first episode, and James got this really weird allergic reaction and I did not enjoy seeing his face look that bad. Well, it didn't look bad, he never would, but it was just…different.

"But I'm not ogling at them," he said.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you look at them," I admitted, all my self-confidence going down the drain in this one moment.

"Tor," James said softly.

"What?" I asked flatly, not even knowing why I started this whole thing, playing with the edge of the papers next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see James giving me a stern look.

"I don't care about them. I mean, I do because they're my fans. But I don't care about them the way I care about you," he said. I looked up at him slowly, and he was looking at me, his face and voice filled with sincerity. "I don't look at them the way I look at you. I don't talk to them the way I talk to you."

"And you're saying all this while shirtless," I said slowly, smiling.

"Is that making you not believe me?"

"Of course not. It's just kind of…odd. Why are you shirtless anyway?" I asked.

"Because I sleep shirtless?" he said, confused.

"Duh. But why?"

He didn't respond for a moment, instead wiping the probably sticky oatmeal off his face and chest. He crumpled up the napkin and set it next to his bowl.

"You just wasted perfectly good oatmeal," I said, dead serious. "Oatmeal costs money."

"Yeah, and so do diamonds," he said, and I looked at him, puzzled. He nodded toward my left hand, more so to my ring finger, which was, of course, ringless. "Why are you not wearing your ring?"

"I already told you," I said. "It was just a little too big, so I was getting it resized."

"Oh, right," he said, pretending to be upset. "Of course. You hated it."

"Shut up," I said. "I loved it."

"I'm sure." James looked down at his bowl, which still had some oatmeal left in it. "Why are you even eating oatmeal at midnight?"

"Why are _you _eating oatmeal at midnight?" I retorted. He laughed.

"Because you were making some!" he said dramatically.

"And why are you up at midnight?"

"Why are _you _up at midnight?" was James rebuttal.

"Well, to start with, you fell asleep on me," I said.

We were sitting in bed at around ten thirty, well, James lying next to me, and I was sitting up, leaning against the headboard, but we were talking about what a long day it had been, and he just dozed off right in the middle of the conversation.

"And second, I couldn't fall asleep because you were snoring," I added, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.

Yeah, that's right. James Maslow snores.

"I do not snore," he said, pointing at me.

"You should really watch that pointing. It's quite rude. And yes you do. How would you know anyway? Dude, you're _asleep_," I said.

"Fine. I'll take it," he said, accepting my answer.

"Good," I said, then picked up my now empty bowl and took it to the kitchen and put it in the sink.

James followed close behind, and the dim light in the kitchen made his gray sweatpants look bright and his skin tanner than it usually is.

"Now that we've eaten oatmeal and had a nice heart to heart chat, I'm going to bed," I announced.

James leaned down and kissed me softly for a moment, and I could taste the oatmeal on his lips. He pulled away and smiled and I smiled back, then he wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me in for a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around his mid-section, smiling at the sweet and heartfelt moment in the middle of the kitchen, in the middle of the night.

"I love you Tor," he whispered, kissing my head.

"I love you too James," I whispered back.

He pulled away a moment later, and kissed me again, quickly again before I headed for the bedroom.

"Night gorgeous," James said. I rolled my eyes.

"Night Mr. Washboard abs," I said back, even though James hated that. I didn't know why, he just didn't like it when someone said washboard abs off the show.

"Shut up," he teased, and I moved aside right before a spoon landed on the floor next to me.

I could not believe he just threw a spoon at me. What a jerk!

"Pick up that spoon!" I called as I lay down in bed, pulling the dark tan covers over me. A moment later, I heard a drawer slam shut, and I rolled my eyes.

"The spoon is picked up!" James called.

A few minutes later, I heard the door shut, and I could hear James' feet on the carpet, then the bed dipped slightly as he lay down next to me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, his skin radiating warm heat. I was half asleep and only laughed softly in response before cuddling up in his warmth, barely smelling the oatmeal on his skin before falling asleep.

**So, chapter one complete! REVIEW PLEASE! :)**


	2. Baby Cats or Kittens?

** So wow, I'm loving the feedback already. I still love writing the James/Tori. Oh, and uh, that one review from "Beached Whale," you can just ignore that. That was just my friend being her little suggestive self. **

** So, where did the inspiration for this chapter come from? I don't recall the exact conversation, but I **_**think **_**Tori and I were talking about cats, and she said something about baby cats, and then alas, this happened. Oh, and the pull-up thing? Well, we have our gym class friend from last year to thank for that :)**

** Oh, and as of now, I think there are about 13 more chapters after this. Inspiration is everywhere! Especially with this story because there really are no limitaions.**

** Enjoy and review.**

** Ideas? Let me know.**

_Baby Cats or Kittens?_

It was a random Saturday in January, around three am, and I was sitting on mine and James' bed, watching him. He was doing pull-ups, shirtless, only wearing a pair of shorts. He was convinced it was his prime time, which I really didn't understand.

I mean, three am? It seemed as if that boy never slept. He always seemed to be up, either at work, doing something for work, or working out.

Of course, he still spent time with me, we still spent time together, but it was a lot less than in the beginning, and I guess I should have been expecting that. Big Time Rush seemed to be getting more and more popular with each new episode, and with that came less time I saw James.

So, I just utilized every moment I could. And that included three am.

"James," I said, leaning back on my hands. "I have a question."

"What is it?" he said, not looking back at me. It just proved how much he really was into his working out.

"Why do you work out at three am?" I asked.

"I told you. It's my prime time."

"So pretty much whatever you say goes," I said.

"Pretty much."

I laughed a little, then we were both quiet for a moment. Which is when I realized James was freaking amazing at pull-ups.

"Cats or dogs?" I asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?" he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, but the pull-ups never stopped.

"Which one do you like better," I said.

"Oh. Dogs, definitely."

I most definitely agreed with that, not being a big cat fan myself, but I figured I'd lighten the mood and continue to annoy him since that was always fun to do.

"So you've never thought about getting a baby cat?"

"A baby cat?" he repeated slowly, seeming confused.

"Yeah," I said.

"Tor," James said, looking back at me again. He sounded…worried.

"What?"

"You know that they're called kittens, right?"

I gave him a look, completely committing myself to this "role."

"Who taught you that?" I asked.

"Uh…society?" he said, with a slight chuckle at the end. He let go of his pull-up thing, then walked to the edge of the bed before dropping to the floor to do push-ups. I scooted down to the edge of the bed, and watched him for a moment as he did the push-ups so effortlessly.

I was so impressed by him it was unreal. He was like…not human.

"I was always told it was a baby cat," I told him.

"Who told you that?"

"My grandparents," I lied, smiling, and I was glad he couldn't see it.

James stopped his push-ups, then sat down on the floor, looking up to me. He was still shirtless, the slightest bit of sweat above his brow.

"You are such a liar," he said, shaking his head.

"I'm serious!" I said, throwing a hand up.

"You're smiling," he said, doing just that.

"No, I'm not," I argued, even though I _knew _what was going on. That's just what happened when I lied. I couldn't help it.

"Tori," he said seriously.

"James," I said in the same tone. "So you wouldn't want a baby cat?" I asked, switching the subject now.

"Don't try and do that!" James said, standing up.

"Doing what?" I asked, acting dumb.

Oh my gosh, I loved doing this to him! He got angry with me so easily, then we got into these stupid, pointless fights that only made me laugh. He came over to me, then put a hand on my both of my shoulders, shaking me playfully.

"They're called kittens!" he said, letting me fall back on the bed. I started laughing, a hand over my mouth.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's a baby cat."

After another moment to calm down, I sat back up, biting back my smile as James looked like he was about to freak out on me.

"You're so stubborn," he said, rolling his eyes. "But you're so cute."

"Nope, I'm pretty sure that's you," I said. He smiled that perfect James smile of his, then kissed me gently.

He tasted salty. Gross. But, that was yet another thing to annoy him about.

"But Jamesy, really, they're baby cats," I told him sweetly, looking up at him.

"Why are you so hooked on this idea?" he asked me, digging through the drawers of the dresser.

"Because they are truly baby cats. They're newborn, and when they grow up, they're called cats. And when babies are born, they're called a baby, so that's exactly the same for a cat," I explained.

"But their politically correct name is kitten," James pointed out.

"You just admitted that they can be called baby cats!" I said, pointing at him.

"No I didn't!" he said dramatically.

I nodded as I grinned, and it broke out into a smile after James said "Okay…_maybe. _But only because you did make a pretty good point."

"Ha. Told you. I'm such a genius," I said.

"But I think before we agree upon anything that you should Google this or something," he added.

"James, if you haven't already noticed, Google lies," I told him sternly. "If we want to figure this out, the best person to ask would be a cat enthusiast."

"So now we're gonna go out and find a cat lover and ask them this?"

"No, we're going to find a cat _enthusiast._"

James looked at me, annoyance in his eyes, but a smile on his face, and I knew we were about to start yet another debate.

**HAHA, so this makes me laugh. And I suggest everyone say baby cat now so we can start a new trend. Do it!**


	3. Fake Up

**Okay, this wasn't the planned third chapter, but I HAD to write it now.**

** This idea Tori and I came up with today during enrichment. One thing lead to another, then McDonald's, then I figured it needed a little public embarrassment, and alas, here we are with chapter number three.**

** Oh, and this one, James and Tori are just dating. That works better for this plot.**

** Review! **

** Ideas? Let me know!**

_Fake-up_

To put it simply, I was excited. James didn't have to work today, his first day off in pretty much a month. So I hadn't seen him that much.

We weren't doing anything special, merely just hanging out in my living room, and catching up.

"Hey," James said, and I looked up as he walked over to me.

"Hi," I said, smiling up at him. He sat down next to me, then kissed me gently.

"How have you been?" he asked me as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Okay," I told him. "But I'm much better now that you're here."

"Aww," he said, running his hand up and down my back.

"You've just been working a lot lately. I've missed you," I admitted quietly.

"Well, sorry that I have a job," James said.

It sounded like it should have been a joke. But he said in this tone of seriousness and one that should have made me feel guilty.

"I have a job!" I said, pulling away from him and giving him a look.

"Well, you're being selfish," he said.

I scoffed. I was not being selfish! I was just happy he was here. This was James' fault. He was the one who started talking with an attitude.

"I am not," I said. "You're the one who started this."

"You don't even seem to support me, though, Tori. I just seem to be becoming your arm candy or something," he said.

I felt my throat closing up, and I couldn't believe this was happening.

"James, what are you talking about? You mean everything to me!"

"No I don't."

I couldn't be here anymore. I got up and left, shutting the door behind me forcefully.

I couldn't seem to put this together. It seemed as though there was a hint of sarcasm in all those words, but the angry tone took over. This was so messed up. I didn't want to be without James.

I'd already tried to go without him before, but we were brought back together.

I ended up at McDonald's. In the ball pit.

How I got there, I don't really know. I was just moping at now here I was, waiting for someone to kick me out.

In the midst of sitting in a pile of red, blue, green and yellow plastic balls, I didn't even notice the person standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" James asked softly, and I could hear in the voice that guilt.

I shrugged, still looking down at the kiddie balls I was sitting in.

"You're kind of short," he said suddenly. I looked up at him, and he was smiling.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"That's how you got in here," he said, gesturing around him.

"Okay, true. But you're kind of tall. How'd you get in here?"

"I snuck in," he said simply, grinning. I rolled my eyes. "And I'm sorry."

"James, don't apologize. I was the one who took it the wrong way," I told him, looking down again.

"But I was the one who gave you sass." I laughed a little.

"Look, we both took it the wrong way," I said.

"Agreed," he said. James held out his tanned hand, and I took it and he pulled me up. "Now, if we leave this, we will get dirty looks."

"So?" I said, walking toward the door, but he stopped me.

"No," he said. He stood in front of me, then picked me up, his arms under my legs.

"James, what are you doing?" I asked through laughter.

"This is an ingenious plan. But, it will also create some public embarrassment," he said.

"You know I always do that anyway, so let's go," I agreed.

"Alright, just open the door."

I leaned forward, stretching my arm out and pulled open the door. We immediately got stares from everyone around, everyone wondering why two grown people were in the ball pit at McDonald's.

"Tori, how many times have I told you to stay with me?" James said loudly.

Oh my god, I thought.

He was totally going to make me sound like someone who escaped from a mental hospital.

Some middle-aged woman with younger children gave us a look as we walked past and James said "Please, disregard her. She has no clue what she's doing."

I laughed a little, resting my forehead against his shoulder so no one saw the look on my face as James convinced everyone around I was mentally insane.

Once we got outside, James put me down on the sidewalk, then hugged me tightly.

"Let's not let this happen again," he said as I hugged him back.

"Let's not," I said. He pulled away, then slid an arm around my shoulders, kissing my head.

"So, basically, that whole fight was supposed to be like a joke?" I said a few minutes later as James and I continued to walk back home.

"Yes," James said. "Why?"

"So we just had a fake-up."

He laughed, then said "A what?"

"A fake-up. You know, a fake break up," I explained.

"It could definitely be called that. So, we just experienced our first fake-up."

"Yup," he said.

I smiled, then looked over at the beautiful boy next to me. He was amazing for dealing with me, and I couldn't believe he still loved me even though I did the most ridiculous things.

This one, ending up in a ball pit, probably being the craziest.

"James?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" he said, looking over.

"I love you, despite the fact you convinced everyone in McDonald's that I was mentally insane." He smiled.

"It's just what I do. But I love you too."

**Hmm…yeah. Tori would definitely end up in a ball pit. And everyone would definitely think she was crazy. But, yes, here's this chapter. Review!**


	4. Ali's First Words

** Hi guys! Sorry for not updating this since…the fifth. But I've been super super busy. I hope you guys like this, because this idea is brand new!**

** The inspiration for this was in Tech class today, when Tori and I were talking about baby cats (best thing ever, right?) and then…this came along. And, there's yet another baby cat's chapter coming up soon. Or late. I dunno yet, we'll see.**

** Anyway, enjoy and REVIEW!**

** Oh and DUH how could I forget to tell you this: This chapter takes place before the "Five Years Later" thing, but after the wedding. I'll explain further, kay? Kay.**

"Should I be worried that Ali hasn't said her first word yet?" I asked James one morning. We were sitting on the living room floor, and Ali was in between us, crawling around on the floor. We did this every day, where we just spent time focused on just Ali.

She was just a few days over one year old and she hadn't said her first word yet, and I didn't know if this was normal or not, and I was starting to worry.

"I wouldn't let it stress you out," he said, pulling Ali over to him, making her giggle, before he let her crawl over to the pile of toys sitting on the carpet in front of me.

I sighed, and watched the little girl in front of me, and I had to smile at her. She looked just like James, with shining hazel eyes, and even though she didn't have much hair yet, it was about the same color as his. She was wearing a brightly colored dress that had pink and yellow stripes on it, and she continued to make her little "baby noises."

No words, just noises.

"But I'm worried," I told James, looking over at him.

"Look, she just turned a year old, she can't be that far behind in development if she even is," he explain, looking back at me.

I nodded, taking this into consideration, then smiled at Ali as she crawled over to me and looked up to me.

"Hi Ali," I said as she put her hands on my legs and tried to stand up. I laughed a little, then took her hands in mine and stood her up. We were almost at eye-level now, and her mouth was open, still making baby noises, and she was wobbling. It was the cutest thing ever.

James and I loved being parents. I would admit, it was beyond difficult in the beginning since she was our first child, we were alone in it, _and _she had colic. But, after a few months, we got used to it, and now she was an angel.

Well, she was always an angel, but now more than then. Ali never caused problems, not that many babies could do that much, but she was perfect. She didn't have outbursts, and she did pretty well with listening.

I figured she was good with listening because James and I would read, and talk to her, constantly. We would never do the "Your Baby Can Read" stuff, but we read to her, and she was content with listening. Sometimes, James and I would be talking, and Ali would be sitting in her high chair, or on James' lap, and she would stare up at us, completely enthralled by the petty conversation we were most likely having.

Ali's little legs finally gave out, and she plopped down onto her butt, onto the soft floor. She turned away from me, then crawled the two feet over to James, who was leaning up against the couch.

He smiled, then held his hands out, and she crawled over to him, her little hands on his legs.

"Hi pretty girl," he said, taking her hands in his and standing her up again. She bounced up and down, and James was smiling at her, and I literally had to hold back my aw moment. They were the cutest things ever.

It was a week later now, and Ali still hasn't said anything. I was still worrying, no matter how many times James said she would be fine, and I would be until she said something. We were in the living room, having our little Ali time, but right now, she was completely entranced in the TV. James turned it on for some reason, and Ali was sitting there on the floor in front of me, staring up at it like it was the best thing ever.

James was sitting next to me, shifting his gaze between me and Ali, and we were talking when I noticed the commercial on TV.

It was for cat food or something, and Ali giggled. I'd read her some little books that had cats in it, and she loved them, always giggling at them. Why? I don't know. She just liked them for some reason.

"Look Ali," I said, pointing to the TV as I looked down at her.

"Baby cats!" Ali squealed suddenly, clapping her hands together.

James' mouth dropped open, and so did mine.

"What did she just say?" I asked, looking down at her again, and she looked back up at me, then let herself fall back against me. Gosh, she was so cute!

"Tori!" James said suddenly. "You corrupted our daughter's mind!"

I looked away, holding back my laughter now. My daughter just said her first words, which I was extremely happy about, and it only made it that much better that it was baby cats.

"I never taught her that," I said, smiling.

"Tori, oh my gosh," James said, pretending to be angry, even though on the inside I knew he was proud of her for her first words, no matter what they were. "I cannot believe you taught our daughter that the proper word for a kitten is a baby cat. She's going to be saying that her entire life!"

"So?" I said, still laughing as I thought about it again.

"People will think she's nuts!" he exclaimed.

"And? I told you that they were called baby cats and you still married me," I told him, proving my point, then picked up Ali and stood up, deeming this conversation as over.

James sighed, obviously giving up, then got up from the floor and followed me into the kitchen, where I was putting Ali in her high chair to give her a snack.

"After all those times I thought you were just reading her a book, you were secretly plastering her mind with the words baby cat," he said. I laughed a little as I put a handful of baby cereal on the tray in front of Ali.

"You have to admit that you're proud she said her first words," I told him. "You can be mad at me for 'corrupting her mind,' but you can't be mad at that sweet face for talking."

"Yeah, but from this point on, her talking will just get worse. She'll end up like you," he said.

"James!" I said, smacking his arm.

"I was kidding, babe, don't kill me," he said innocently, holding his hands up.

"I would never," I said, then pecked his lips quickly before going over to the other side of the kitchen, a smile on my face.

**Aww, yay! Ali said her first word! But this is so hilarious at the same time. **

** BABY CATS!**


	5. A Photo Shoot and a Surprise

**Hi beauties :) I know that it has been a VERY long time since I updated this, or any story on my profile, and I really have no excuse what-so-ever as to why nothing's been updated.**

**But I'm really glad I got this chapter written, because I really like this idea. I came up with it this morning, but Tori suggested that I make it a one-shot, and alas, here it is.**

**Um, I don't really know what else to say except if you review on this, or even read this, I LOVE YOU. And I'm working on an update of Unexpected Love. I'm just REALLY busy with school, but with this chapter I've kind of gotten my mojo back because I haven't written much since the end of school last year.**

**So, I really hope you like this, and I realized writing this how much I miss Hottie on the Beach and writing James and Tori's silly but stable relationship, and I hope I can fit it into my schedule to try and update every two weeks or so because Tori and I have gotten a lot of really good ideas lately!**

**Alright, enough. REVIEW? Love you guys!**

I was sitting on the couch in my apartment reading a book, a cup of tea in my hand. It was currently raining, and I was waiting for James to get here so we could go do something, anything really. I'd be cooped up in here all day with nothing to do since James was at some interview and photo shoot this morning, and Katelyn was busy too, so I didn't have anyone that I would be willing to spend all day with.

I was intently reading my book, my eyes focused solely on the words of the page. I was just getting to the good part when I heard an overexcited voice.

"Tori!" I jumped, almost spilling my entire cup of tea, and then James appeared, and he stood by the coffee table, looking so excited he could jump out of his socks.

"James!" I squealed. "You almost made me scald my skin with tea! Apologize," I said sternly.

He laughed into a smile, and looked immensely adorable, but I was still mad at him. "Sorry," he said, looking down at the floor.

"Sorry what?" I asked.

James stared at me for a moment, then said "Sorry, I love you?"

"You're lucky you're cute," I said, sitting up and putting my book and cup of tea on the table. "So why did you come running in here, exactly?"

"I have exciting news," he said, and he put his hands together, almost for more emphasis.

I sat back and crossed one leg over the other and pretended to look bored. Even though it was probably exciting news. Because, let's face it, anything James said was exciting. Or maybe that was just me.

"What is it?" I asked now.

"I'm doing a photo shoot tomorrow-"

"That's not exciting," I said, purposely cutting it off because I knew he hated it when I did it intentionally.

"I wasn't finished," he said darkly, and I giggled. "Anyway, I'm doing this photo shoot tomorrow on the beach-"

"Will you be fully clothed?"

James stopped again and stared at me for a moment, and I smiled sweetly, trying to hold in my laughter.

I honestly didn't care if this was going to be one of those photo shoots that was meant to drive the girls off the wall with pictures of James in tank tops and swim trunks, or maybe not even wearing a shirt. It didn't bother me, because honestly, it was part of his job to do photo shoots, and he was just so darn good looking that he accidentally drove the girls off the wall. Basically, I didn't mind other girls gawking over pictures, because unlike them, I was actually dating that beautiful boy, not just staring at his posters on my wall.

"I don't know. I hope so," he said, and I laughed now. Right. He hopes that he has to wear a shirt because he hates the way he looks.

"Alright," I said, nodding. "Go on."

He went and sat down on the chair next to me, hands folded together and his elbows resting on his knees. "And not only am I at the beach, but I get to do this photo shoot with horses."

Okay, he had my full attention now. I loved horses. I always, always did, but I hardly ever had the chance to ride since I'd moved out here. It had been a while since the last time I'd gotten around to hop on a horse and doing a jumper course, but I wasn't losing my skills or anything. They were in my blood, and always would be.

"Can I go?" I said immediately, sitting up straighter now. James smiled and laughed.

"I figured you'd want to," he said.

"So is that a yes? I have permission to be there?"

"Yes, you have permission to be there," James said, and I practically squealed as I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his strong arms around my back and hugged me tightly, pulling me onto his lap.

I smiled at him and loosened my grip on him, and he grinned back. "You're really excited aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" I said, playing with the little wisps of hair by his forehead and watching him adoringly.

"I can't wait to spend a work day with my favorite girl," he said now, tightening his grip on my waist.

"Oh really?" I asked. James nodded and smiled, then kissed me gently before pulling me into his arms and telling me about his day.

* * *

The next morning, I met James around six, and we headed off to some beach about half an hour away that was secluded and hardly anyone went to. When we got there, the photographers and wardrobe and make-up people were already there, setting up whatever it is photographers set up.

It was still a little cool, and as James and I walked away from his car, I kept poking at him to give me his jacket since I was stupid and didn't really think this morning when I was getting ready.

"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you if you stop poking me!" James said, unzipping the baby blue and gray striped jacket and handing it to me.

"Thank you," I said, extra sweetly, then kissed his cheek quickly before sliding it on. It was oversized and warm, and it smelled like him, and it went halfway down my thighs, and I probably looked silly, but I didn't care.

"James, good morning!" some guy I didn't know, nor recognized, said. The man said a quick hello to me, then ushered James off, saying they'd be back in a minute, that he just had to brief James on what they'd be doing today.

After James came back a few minutes later, I was introduced to the photographer, Michael, and he asked if I wanted to be in the shoot too. I declined immediately, that was the last thing I wanted to do right now. Modeling? Not my strongest subject.

For the first hour or so, James wore brightly colored swim trunks and a tank top, doing all these poses in the sand and water, and a few with other props he was given. Then he went to go change again, and when he came back, he was wearing this white button down and black jeans and I smiled at him as he walked by.

"Hopefully I'll be about to mount up wearing these pants. And hopefully they won't rip," James said, not to anyone in particular, and I laughed at him.

I wasn't paying attention for the next few moments, instead looking down at the text that had appeared on my phone and answering it, and when I looked back up, James was standing in front of a grey horse, petting its head.

I just stared for a moment, and then I realized that that horse was _my _horse. I couldn't tell you how I knew, I just did. All the same spots and everything. I threw a hand over my mouth to keep from having an emotional breakdown and screaming in front of everyone, then calmed down enough to walk over there.

I started walking toward James, and when I was halfway there, he noticed me, and beamed. I almost wanted to push him out of the way so I could pet my horse, who was basically like my baby, but I kept control.

"Hi Remi," I said, going to pet his head, but he went to smell my hand instead. I stood there smiling like an idiot, mainly because I hadn't seen my pony in such a long time. I looked over at James, and then I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his shirt.

"What?" he asked, like he didn't know what was going on.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I asked, my voice a little shakier than I wanted it to be. I couldn't help that I was getting a little emotional. This was a big moment.

"Maybe," he said. "Are you surprised?"

I nodded and hugged him again, because no one had ever, and I mean ever, done something _this _nice for me. And to me, this just meant that James really did care a lot about the things that I loved, and that he would support me, too.

"Then, yes, I planned this," he said, and I smiled, then kissed his cheek. I walked around to Remi's side, and noticed that the saddle pad, bridle and saddle were all mine, too.

"Is this all my tack?" I asked James as I brushed my hand over Remi's neck.

"Yup," he said. I patted his neck, then walked back over to James and kissed him softly.

"Thank you so much, James," I said sincerely, and I didn't mean anything else I'd ever said.

"You're welcome, Tor," he said.

"You have no idea how much this means to me," I told him, my voice soft. Remi nudged me with his nose, upset that James was getting more attention that he was, and I laughed out loud. I wasn't even upset that he just ruined the moment. I kissed him on the nose, then patted him lovingly.

"I'm glad you're happy," James said, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close and kissed my hair.

"I love you," I said, glancing up to him.

"I love you too," he said, kissing my nose now, and I laughed a little at the coincidence.

I pulled away from him completely, then gave him a smile as I walked over to Remi's side again. I put my left foot in the stirrup, then pulled myself up and over and into the saddle.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

"My pony," I told him. "I get to ride him whenever I want."

"But what about my photo shoot?"

I adjusted the reins in my hands, then looked down at him. "You can have him back in an hour," I said, even though I was probably lying.

"Tori!" James said as I clicked for Remi to go and we went off trotting down the beach.

"Just tell them you need a lunch break!" I called, glancing back at him one last time before looking at the stretch of sand in front of me.

* * *

So, it was actually an hour and a half until I returned. And I knew James wasn't going to be mad at me, because he just couldn't. Especially not today. I took my feet out of the stirrups, then hopped off onto the sand, Remi's reins in my hands as I walked toward James.

"Fun ride?" he asked, and I smiled and nodded.

"Are the photographers, like, really mad at me?" I replied.

"No," James said, laughing. "You better be glad."

"We were bonding," I said, patting Remi on the neck.

"You two look super adorably cute together," he said and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Sometimes you're really weird," I told him.

"Oh, don't do that to me," he said dramatically, putting his hands over his heart.

"Stop," I said, smiling.

"Stop what?" James asked.

"Stop being so cute," I said. "Now, go find a banana."

"Why?"

"Because Remi likes bananas and he deserves a snack."

James sighed, and I smacked his arm, and he went off to go get me a banana, and I stood in front of Remi, petting him and talking to him. When James returned, I told him to peel it, and he did so, then handed it to me. I figured Remi was just going to bite it like he usually does, but instead he pretty much ate my hand and inhaled the whole thing.

"Remi!" I scolded playfully, even though I couldn't be angry at his rude actions. "Naughty pony!"

Then he coughed, and pieces of banana went all over the t-shirt James was now wearing, and at first I was shocked, and then I just started cracking up. I had to admit, it was funny, and I was glad it didn't happen to me.

James just stood there, looking down at his shirt that had specks of yellow mush all over it, and Remi stood in between us, completely innocent.

"Dude!" he said, and I held my hand up, unable to talk at the moment. "I don't think I can ever wear this shirt again."

I composed myself enough to look over at him, but when I saw the look on his face and the stains on his shirt, I started laughing again.

"I'm sorry," I said through laughter. "He doesn't usually do that."

"That didn't sound sincere," James said.

"Well then how can I make it up to you?" I asked, for the most part back to normal.

"You can let me borrow Remi for my photo shoot," he said.

"That's it?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Alright. You may borrow him," I said, then kissed his cheek gently, and passed on the reins.

* * *

James was completely natural around Remi while he was using him for his photo shoot. For the most part, he was sitting on him bareback, with a few of him walking in the sand, reins in his hands and Remi being photogenic and polite behind him.

I looked at all the pictures, all of which were adorable, just because it had my two loves in them. James always claimed he hated photo shoots, but I didn't believe him, especially with this one. Walking around in a white button down and jeans, his hair slicked back in some of them.

He wrapped his photo shoot right before sun down, and we stayed on the beach and we were just hanging out. "Can I ride him?" James asked, taking the reins from me.

"I don't think you're going to fit in my saddle," I said. "And you'll definitely have to change the stirrups."

"Did you just call me fat?"

"James," I said, not even sure what to say after that.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm weird, I know."

He stuck his foot in the stirrups, then in one swift movement was in the saddle. I didn't even know he could do that!

"Impressive," I said, smiling up at him.

"Hey, I used to ride too," he said.

"I know. But I didn't think you were talented enough to do that."

"Please," he said cockily. "I'm talented enough for anything."

I rolled my eyes and pushed his leg out of the way so I could fix the stirrups for him, and I moved them down a few notches. "Okay, is this good?" I asked him and he stuck his foot in.

"Yeah," James said, and I moved to the other side and fixed that one for him, a huge smile on my face as I realized we know had something else to bond over.

**Alright, so I totally made this like four times longer than it needed to be, but I just couldn't stop. I loved this idea.**

**And yes, Remi is Tori's real pony and he is very cute, if you're wondering.**

**:)**


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